The Vivek Oberoi-Mallika Sherawat starrer is a mishmash of crude jokes and implausible situations

Sanjay Khanduri started his career as a director and scriptwriter with Ek Chalis Ki Last Local (ECKLL), featuring Abhay Deol and Neha Dhupia five years back, and he showed a lot of promise. But after watching this film we remember the phrase ‘promises are meant to be broken’. ECKLL won accolades from the audience and critics for its distinct concept and screenplay. So it seems Khanduri got carried away by the audience response to his first film. How else can one explain the fact that he decided to tread the same route again. Only this time, he changes the backdrop from Mumbai to Delhi and Mumbai’s lifeline local train to Delhi Metro.

The film starts with Lokesh aka Vivek Oberoi, a typical Delhi chichora who enters the metro station. He’s running late and doesn’t want to miss his last gyarah chalis ki last metro. Aadat se majboor, he starts flirting with a woman in his compartment, but fails to impress her. Enter Anamika (Neha Dhupia, who later returns just a minute before the interval to reveal her actual identity and her name, Aarti Utaru, any comments? Phew!).

She requests Lokesh to deliver a letter to her husband who’s waiting for her just a few stations ahead. Lokesh opens the letter only to find out that it was a suicide note which said that the person holding it is responsible for Anamika’s death. Next, you bet what happened? Yes, you’re right. Anamika is found dead on the metro tracks and Lokesh is trapped by the Delhi Police. But he successfully manages to escape (how else will the story proceed?). What follows next is the flashback of events that occurred in Lokesh’s life over the past twenty four hours.

Like Sanjay’s first film, KLPD too shows what happens to its characters in one night. Talking about characters, how can you forget Ms Lovina (Mallika Sherawat) who is forced by a group of people to enter Lokesh’s life? Eventually, both of them become the target of several groups out to get a tape from them, which is basically a sting operation tape, exposing the state’s Chief Minister.

Vivek tries hard to impress as Lokesh, and he is decent enough, but all that is taken away by a faltering script. Mallika is strictly okay. After all, it’s one of those films where she – and not her body – has to do the talking (which is the real problem). Ashutosh Rana as a humorous gang leader ‘Captaan sahab’ provides good humour. His interaction with his group in Haryanvi accent is hilarious. It’s good to see him on the screen after long but it hurts to see him doing a role like this when we know how good a performer he is.

The dialogues are tacky, maybe Khanduri wanted to keep the Delhi flavour as authentic as he could. Khanduri copies the scene from his last film ECKLL where Abhay Deol was tied up with a yellow ball in his mouth about to be raped by a gay designer called Rohit Pichwadia.

The movie is filled with goof-ups, crude jokes, distracted characters and implausible situations. Some intelligent writing could have helped the film. The youth could enjoy some Delhi and Hariyanvi flavoured dialogues like ‘Har kisi ki dukaan har taraf se khulti hain’ and ‘Teri maa ki thekedari’ though. Music by Amjad-Nadeem really disappoints.

So the only thing you can expect from KLPD is half-hearted entertainment and not-so-memorable scenes. Overall, the less we analyse the film, the better. Waise bhi pure mood ki KLPD ho gayi hain!